


There is a hidden power.

by bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb



Series: Pyro, the man who creates legends [3]
Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Gen, I mention Thích Quảng Đức, he lit himself on fire, he was protesting, he's fucking cool, shippers don't interact, you should google him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:54:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24636406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb/pseuds/bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
Summary: Discontinued.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: Pyro, the man who creates legends [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1757236
Comments: 13
Kudos: 40





	1. The lack of power

**Author's Note:**

> This might be a bit uhhh intense as it will mention Thích Quảng Đức who was a Buddhist monk, who lit himself on fire to protest the government of South Vietnam. This will not describe the act at all, however if this is something that could be potentially triggering to you, do not read the work.
> 
> If you feel that I cross any lines, I will take down this work immediately.

There is a power in silence. And Pyro had never had that power.

He remembers the day he learned about it.

_He was a shithead 13-year-old and had failed his school test._

_He usually sat in the back but since he was doing a make-up test, he had to sit in the front of the room._

_"Yeah, I'm done." He drops it down on his teacher's desk. "So, can I go now?" He shoves his hands in his pockets._

_The teacher rifled through the test. "You didn't answer any of the questions."_

_"And?"_

_"And you are my student, and I don't want you to flunk a test that you clearly can pass."_

_Niall shrugs. "I don't care."_

_"Why don't you care?"_

_"Because history class doesn't fucking matter, okay?" Niall bursts out._

_His teacher is silent for a moment before- "Niall, can I show you something?"_

_Niall nods._

_His teacher opens a drawer in her desk. She removes a false bottom and pulls out a photo. It's encased in plastic._

_It's of a man engulfed in flames._

_"This is Thích Quảng Đức." She says._

_"He was a monk. He lit himself on fire to protest his government."_

_"Why are you telling me this?"_

_"Just wait."_

_And so Niall waited._

_"Did you know that burning is the most painful way to die?"_

_Niall shakes his head no._

_"And Thích Quảng Đức didn't utter a single sound while he burned. Didn't move. He sat and burned to death." She looks at the photo and so does Niall._

_The flames coil around the man like he himself controlled them._

_He looks holy, and Niall is in awe of him._

_"Why didn't anyone stop him? Why didn't anyone put him out?" His voice cracks and he shocked to realize that he's close to crying._

_"Because he wanted to go this way. It was planned. A friend of his poured gasoline over him. No one could put him out."_

_She lets out a strange laugh._

_"Imagine that, a man so strong of his convictions that he burns alive without a sound."_

_She looks at him._

_"This is why history matters, Niall."_

_He runs his fingers over the picture. It crinkles as he touches it._

_"History matters because of things like this. Because of people like him."_

_Niall stared down at it. There was some gruesome sort of beauty to it._

Niall had always talked too much. He doesn't know how much power is in silence.

Pyrocynical talks just enough, subtle pauses in his sentences to suggest double meanings. He will never truly know the power of silence.

Pyro will talk as much as he wants, but he values his silence as much as his words. Pyro knows the power of silence but he can never fully possess it.

~~_Even though there is power in silence, that power is not always used for good. That silence can be oppressive, and we must use our voice. Sometimes silence is nothing compared to a scream._ ~~


	2. The silent still speak

Alistar knows the power of his silence.

It took him a while to know it.

When he was growing up, he thought that Avoxes were stupid. He didn't even think they were human.

Then he became one.

And the Avoxes are more human than anyone in the Capitol.

And since everyone thought that he was stupid, they didn't care what he heard. 

And so Alistar heard everything.

They talked openly about new policies, new laws, dirt that they had on others. They spoke of things that they would never say in front of him if they thought he could repeat it.

But he could repeat it.

He relayed it through signing whenever he could to Pyro or any other adult that he trusted, of which there were not many.

He used to trust his mom.

That was a big mistake.

He remembers the day that he was taken. Her silence still rings in his ears.

It was louder than anything he's ever heard.

_ "MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY, MOM-" He was too terrified to say anything else. _

_ And that's saying something, considering how he was at that point in his life when you're 11 and you think you're too cool to call your mother 'mommy' even in private but before your mother sits you down and asks you why you don't call her 'mommy' anymore and you feel really shitty about yourself. _

_ His mom sits stone-faced on the couch but he can detect the slightest tremor in the hand that holds a wine glass. _

_ He screams harder. _

_ "MOMMYMOMMYMOMMY-" _

_ She doesn't utter a fucking word as he is dragged out of her home. _

_ His last words are a call for his mom, steadfast in the opinion that his mom will come and save him, just give her a minute, pleaSE PLEASE PLEASE MOMMY. _

_ Then silence. _

_ He sees her as soon as he's deemed capable enough to handle public events (aka when he's docile enough to serve). _

_ It should be some kind of coincidence but his years in the Capitol, both as a citizen and as an Avox, taught him that there is always some sort of game going on, no matter the time of year. _

_ His mother sits in the middle of a group. He thinks it's the campaign that she works for. Some dude who is trying to run for some position at some department. _

_ He sees her when he enters the room. _

_ His mother doesn't spare a glance at the Avoxes, used to ignoring their existence. _

_ He isn't sure what to do. He wants to hug her and he wants to scream at her. _

_ He can't do either of those things. _

_ As he walks up, holding a tray of food, he follows his training. _

_ Look dead in the eyes, don't give any impression that you are human or intelligent. _

_ He looks at his mother and doesn't let recognition lit in his eyes. _

_ She looks at him and disgust fills her face. He feels ashamed but he leaves his face blank. _

_ Her hands curl around the edge of her dress. Then she looks at his face and he sees sadness in her eyes. _

_ She isn't disgusted with him. She's disgusted with herself. _

_ Fuck her. She doesn't get to pretend to care about this when she didn't try to save him. _

_ He starts to back out of the way, but the politician grabs his arm. He goes still and looks at the man who is smiling at him with malice. _

_ "Wasn't this your kid, Jocelyn?" The man does wait for an answer. "Aren't you a good Avox now, boy?" _

_ Alistar nods. _

_ That's all he'll ever be, at least to the Capitol. _

_ His mother never gets used to it. _

_ But he does. _

_ And there is a sick satisfaction in seeing his mother's reaction every time he is in the same room and he looks dead. _

Dolan knows the power of his silence.

He's known it, ever since he was a kid and he was too shy to talk to the adults in the room and ran around with a goose mask on.

He knew too much from such a young age.

When he was a kid and he couldn't sleep, he would sneak out of his room and hide behind a corner in the living room. He would sit in the same room as his parents, hiding and watching the lights on the TV move.

This is how he caught his first glimpses of the Games.

He thinks his parents knew about it. They caught him countless times. But they must've known that this habit helped him fall asleep or they would have said something.

And that's how it all started.

A childhood habit turned into something much bigger.

His childhood habit became a way to know more than he needed, to find a way in and out of conversations with ease.

Now Dolan can enter rooms undetected and show up at parties hours after he walked in.

Dolan knows the power of his silence and he will not let anyone take it.

~~_Silence dies when people are not given justice._ ~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not as good as i wanted it to be or wanted it to turn out but oh well. Stay safe!

**Author's Note:**

> I might not update shit for a bit as tonight is the night before finals week. I think I should be able to respond to comments and read works though!!
> 
> Stay safe!!


End file.
